Withdrawal symptoms do not need to occur in order for an addiction to exist. In addiction, the parts of the brain responsible for impulse control become dysfunctional, so that addicts are unable to decide against using a substance--if it is available, they will use it. People become addicted to gambling, too, and I'm pretty certain that gambling does not involve physically ingesting psychoactive chemicals.
What substances adults put in their own bodies is their business not mine, not yours, not the govts.
There is just one problem with that. You would be correct, if we, as a society, allowed addicts to crawl off and die when they have progressed so far in their addictions that they are no longer able to function as productive members of society. But that isn't the case. As a society, we insist on taking care of them, on providing them minimal survival necessities. As a result, we spend a lot on welfare programs, on dealing with the homeless, and so forth. Therefore, allowing addicts to descend into the depths of addiction has consequences for everyone.
You want to google addicted doctors and nurses, it is not a small problem. I have helped both get clean.
I know perfectly well that doctors and nurses become addicted. I have expressed doubt that they can continue to perform adequately at their jobs while being substance abusers. If substance abuse is not deleterious to optimal job performance, then why bother helping them to get clean?
There is just one problem with that. You would be correct, if we, as a society, allowed alcoholics to crawl off and die when they have progressed so far in their addiction that they are no longer able to function as productive members of society. But that isn't the case. As a society, we insist on taking care of them, on providing them minimal survival necessities. As a result, we spend a lot on welfare programs, on dealing with the homeless, and so forth. Therefore, allowing alcoholics to descend into the depths of addiction has consequences for everyone.
My editing points out you hypocrisy. Wouldn't want anyone taking away your alcohol would you?! Yet you favor we continue to spend billions and billions more making people who smoke a non-addictive plant criminals. Yours is some of the boldest and most distorted hypocrisy I have ever seen as your crawling off and dying, and unproductive members of society, welfare costs and homelessness, and the cost to the rest of us speech shows. As it DOES apply to alcoholics and not does not apply to cannabis users. Cannabis smokers are not crawling off to die...what utter nonsense...like we would buy that bs!